Das Licht flackert im Flur, weil die Lampe nicht funktioniert.

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Breakdown of Das Licht flackert im Flur, weil die Lampe nicht funktioniert.

• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• nicht: not
• weil: because

Questions & Answers about Das Licht flackert im Flur, weil die Lampe nicht funktioniert.

Why is das Licht neuter?

German nouns have grammatical genders that must be memorized. Licht happens to be a neuter noun, so it takes the article das in the nominative case.

Why do we say im Flur instead of in dem Flur?

Im is simply the contraction of in dem, which you use when in expresses location (where?) with a masculine or neuter noun in the dative case. Since Flur is masculine and you’re saying “in the hallway,” you need dative dem Flur, so in dem Flur becomes im Flur.

Why does the verb flackert come right after Das Licht?

In a German main clause, the finite verb always occupies the second position. Here Das Licht is the first element, so flackert must follow it immediately.

Why is there a comma before weil?

Subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like weil (because) are always separated from the main clause by a comma in German.

Why is funktioniert at the very end of the sentence?